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UK freezes 'terror' group's cash
The British government has frozen the accounts of an organization believed to be linked to Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda network, the Treasury has announced. Treasury chief Gordon Brown instructed the Bank of England to ensure that all financial institutions should freeze any assets of the Benevolence International Foundation. What the hell took so long? It's not like they just popped up on the radar screen... The Treasury said there was strong evidence linking the foundation with bin Laden, including personal contacts between senior Benevolence International Foundation officials and al-Qaeda members involved in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Yeah, you might say that. Also to funding thuggery in Chechnya... The Treasury said Britain's Charity Commission also was freezing the funds of the similarly named group Benevolence International (UK), though it had no immediate grounds for suspecting the British organization. "That's a lovely false nose and glasses you have there, sir..." The Treasury said the freeze on the group's funds was a temporary and protective measure. "Until the War on Terror's over..." Last month, the Chicago-based head of the Benevolence International Foundation was charged in the United States with bankrolling bin Laden and his followers. Enaam M. Arnaout, 40, a Syrian-born U.S. citizen, was accused of raising money in the name of helping widows, orphans and the sick in Islamic countries and siphoning some of the funds to bin Laden and other terrorists. "Hey, Mrs Abdullah! I'm from Benevolence International. Sorry to hear about the demise of your late husband. Those detonators can be really tricky, can't they? Well, we've got a nice donation for you — really, it should set you up for the rest of your life, and your kiddies, too. Here it is — don't peek! Surprise! It's 14 tons of 7.62mm ammunition, Mrs Abdullah, and it's all for you!" Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2002-11-19 |
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